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Peabody Research Storage Array

The Peabody Technical Support Center hosts and administers the Peabody Research Storage Array, a 25-terabyte geographically redundant storage solution. The PRSA is designed to provide storage and rapid access for research data files. For example, video-based projects may require several terabytes of storage for their data files and need high-speed access to those files..

The PRSA has been built from commodity hardware and runs on the most stable open-source operating system available, FreeBSD. The array utilizes Western Digital's new 1 terabyte Enterprise Class Green Drives. Thus, the PRSA is more energy efficient than similar units on the market. These drives are designed to use 4-5 fewer watts of energy in comparison to other 1-terabyte drives. This technology translates to a reduction of CO2 emissions by as much as 60 kilograms per drive, per year. It is as effective as taking your car off the road for 14 days each year. Based on the amount of storage we are utilizing, you could park your car for the next 2.45 years!

The PRSA uses several methods to protect the research data it houses. A synched backup of the data between geographically redundant arrays allows for a 'hot spare' should a catastrophic failure render the primary array unusable. Such failures are virtually eliminated by using redundant power supplies, RAID 6 data striping, and a 24/7 monitoring system that informs administrators within minutes of any trouble that might arise.

Until very recently, storage of this size required proprietary hardware and associated high costs. By using off the shelf hardware and open source software, the cost of operation is kept low while maximizing performance. Testing has shown that file-serving speeds are higher using this setup in comparison to Microsoft server technologies.

By careful administration, and a hands-on approach to data integrity, the PTSC is able to give "three nines" availability to the users of the array. For further information, contact Trevor Hearn at trevor.hearn@vanderbilt.edu. Principal investigators should confer with Trevor and PTSC Assistant Director, Ralph Knapp, to determine both the storage needs of their projects and the costs that may be incurred.